Lubricator for roller drills



Dec 26, 1922,

H. RIHUGHES. LUBBICATOR FOR ROLLER DRILLS.

FILED NOV-21,1921.

HWMR' WWNVENTOR.

BY 7e ATTORNEY.

HUWARD 1B1. HUGJEIEB,

O15 HOUSTON, TEXAS.

LUBRICATOR FOB ROLLER DRILLS.

Application filed November 21, 1321. Serial No. 516,70

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Howmo ll. Huouss, acitizen of the United States. residing" at Houston, Harris County,Texas, have invented acertain new and useful "improvement in Luhricatorsfor Roller Drills, of which the following is a full, clear, and e);- actdescription, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

lily invention relates to an improvement in luhricators to be employedwith roller earth boring drills in drilling wells for oil, gas, sulphur,water, etc. and in mining. The invention has particular application todrills employed in deep well operations on which rolling cutters areemployed. These cutters are adapted to withstand heavy strain and mustbe ln-operly lubricated in order to serve their function.

The object of. my invention is to provide a lubricator which willbepositive in its operation and adapted during; the operation of a drill,to force the lubricant to the hearings against the pressure of the headof flushing fluid Within the hole. v

A further object is to provide a. lubricatorof this kind which will beoperated through the rotation of the drill itself and wherein therolling of the cutters upon the material at the bottom oi the well Wlllserve to actuaterneans to force the lubricant to the bearings.

Another object is to provide a means for forcing lubricant to thebearil'ig s of an earth boring drill which will be indepen dent of thepressure (ll' rUl the, flow of the llushinofluid within the well.

Further objects will appear to one skilled in the art after reading themore detailed description which follows.

Referring to the drawings herein. F 1g. 1 illustrates an (:u'diuary type(rt earth bur ino drill. partly in central longitudinal section andpartly in elevation and showing my lubricator attached thereto. saidluhric tor bcinc in central longitiuliual section. Fig. 2 is atransverse section onlhe line 2-.2 of Fig. l, and Fig. Ills an elevationof the retaining" ring; removed.

My invention is shown as being applied to the usual type of rocl; drillnow employed in the rotary system of deep well drilling. It comprises ahead 1 divided longitudinally into two parts and having a tlucaded uppershank for connection to a drill stein, not shown, by means of which thesaid drill may be rotated. The drill is provided with two frusto conicalshaped cutters 3 adapted to roll upon the formation being drilled and todisintegrate the same by means of the chisel action of cutting teethThese cutters are mounted upon bushings 5 and are held in place there onby means of locking rings 6, threaded on the inner face of the saidcutters. The bushings 5 are threaded upon a downwardly inclined. stubshaft or support 7. This tv e of cutter is shown in my .prior Patent 10. 1 143371 and need not be further described. .l-he cutter and bushing,are adapted to bear against the nonl'rictioii Washer 8 separating thecutter from the body of the drill head.

There is centrally of the upper end of the shank 2 a small threadednipple 9 to which is adapted for attachment by means of a coupling 10, alu'hricator barrel .11. This barrel 11 comprises a tube formed to standupwardly within the drill stem and provide a chamber large enough toaccommodate the desired amount of lubricant. It is closed at the upperend by means of a cap 12. said cap having a central opening orperforation 13 to allow the passage therethrough of flushing iiuiol.

Fitting closely within the interior of the lubricator barrel is a piston14, having upper and lower cups lithereon of compressible materialadapted to maintain a close fil with the interior of the barrel. Thisplunger or piston is prevented from rotating by the fitting of aprojection there on within a lateral groove 16 extending longitudinallyoi the chamber. The said plunger is threaded interiorly for connectionwith a threaded shaft or rod 17. This rod extends the full length of thebarrel 11 and is threaded throughout. the major portion of its length.Said rod is connected at its lower end to a flexible joint or coupling18.

The operation of the threaded shaft 17 is acroniplished by connectingthrough a shaft 19 mounted in an inclined position within the head 1 ofthe drill and connected at its lower end to a beveled gear 20. This gearis adapted to rotate partly within a small groove or clnu'nber .21 inthe head of the drill and meshes onlits outer side with teeth formed at-22 on the outer face of the locking ring (3 of the cutter. These teethare hut two in number so as to in]-- "speed.

7 load to operate.

part an intermittent rotation to said shaft thus operating thelubricator at a slow The shaft 19 is connected. at its upper end bymeans of universal joint shown at 18 to the shaft 17 as previouslydescribed, so that it may act to rotate the said shaft.

Inthe operation of the drill it will be noted that the rolling ot thecutters upon the bottom of the hole will cause the teeth 22 on the ring(3 to actuate the gear 20 and rotate the shaft 19. This motion will becommunicated through the joint- 18 to the threaded shaft 1i and willthus force the piston 14 downwardly within the lubricator barrel. It iscontemplated oi course, that the usual rotation of the drill in itsordinary clockwise direction, as viewed. from abo e, will drive theshaft 17 in the proper direction to force the luhricator pistondownwardly. I

Lubricant within the piston will thus be forced downwardly and. willfind passage through the ducts 23 in the head of the drill to thehearings the cutters in the usual manner. T he pressure of the flushingfluid within the lubricator will be exerted with somewhat greater torceupon the upper surface of the piston '14 than at the lower end of theoil ducts leading to the bearings. This pressure cannot affect thepiston which is moved only by the rotation of the threaded shaft 17. itstendency would-be to assist, however. The operating parts may thereforebe made 0t li construction as they will have only a lip barrel 17 belowthe it This lubricator has the will operate whenever the cutters areoperating and need lubrication. It 'ill be entirely ll'ldtllilendelit otthe low advantage that it of: flushing liuid and any clogging in theaction of the flushing apparatus "will in no wise atl'ect the {low ofthe lubricant. It will be positive in its action and will haveadvantages obvious to one skilled in the art without furtherdescription.

vWhat l claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. in a roller earth boring" drill, a drill. head, a roller cutterthereon, a toothed retaining ring on the inner -.iace of said outter. aluhricator barrel on said head, a piston in said barrel, ductsconnecting said barrel and the bearings of said cutter, and means toforce said. piston longitudinally oi said barrel comprising a centralthreaded rod in said barrel to which said piston is operatively engaged,a flexible joint at the lower end oil said rod, a rotatable shaft insaid head connected to said joint, a gear thereon, and a cooperatiiu'gear termed. by said retaining rin who; y the rotation rod, a gear onsaid 1 ,asesee of said cutter will rotate said piston.

2. In a roller earth boring drill, a drill head. a roller cutterthereon, a lubricator barrel on said head, a piston in said barrel,ducts connecting said barrel and the bearings of said cutter, and meansto move said piston longitudinally of said barrel comprising acentralrod to which said piston is threadedly engaged, rotatable shaft in saidhead, the upper end of which is {lexibly connected to said rod and theopposite end of which is provided with a bevel gear, and means on theinner. .t'ace of said cutter engaging with said gear whereby therotation of said gear will rotate said shaft and. actuate saidlubricator piston.

3. In a roller earth boring drill, a drill head, a roller cutterthereon, a threaded nipple centrally of the upper end of said head, alubricator barrel secured thereto, oil ducts in said head connectingsaid barrel and the bearings of said cutter, a piston said rod and move'in said barrel, a threaded rod centrally of said barrel to which saidpiston is operatirely engaged. and means to rotate said rod and drivesaid piston comprising a shaft in said head flexibly connected to saidshaft, and a gear on said cutter meshing therewith. i

l. in. a roller earth boring drill, a head, roller cutters thereon, alubricator barrel on said head adapted to deliver lubricant to thebearings of said cutters, a threaded rod longitudinally of said barrel,a piston on said rod, means to prevent rotation of said piston, andmeans to rotate said rod comprising a shaft flexibly connected to saidrod and geared at its lower end to the inner face of one of said rollercutters.

In. a roller earth boring); drill, a head, a roller cutter thereon, aremovable retaining ring on the inner face of said cutter, a lubricatorbarrel on said head, a piston in said barrel, :1 rod having: screwconnection with said piston, a shaft connected to said rod and a gearoil-said shaft connected with gear teeth on said retaining ring, wherebysaid shaft and rod may be rotated by the rolling of said cutter.

(i. In a roller earth boring drill, a head, a roller cutter thereon, alubricator barrel on said head, ducts from said barrel to thebearings ofsaid cutter, a piston in said barrel. a threaded rod pcrativcly engagedwith said piston and means on said cutter connected with said rod toimpart a slow intermittent rotation thereto.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto allix my si uature this the lilth dayoi: November A: 1)., incl.

nruva up l-Z. no u n as.

